STARGAZER: a podcast about astrology, alchemy, and magic – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, the esoteric scholar Ronnie Pontiac returns to talk about his latest book: The Magic of the Orphic Hymns: A New Translation for the Modern Mystic.

• How an OG episode of Star Trek inspired Ronnie’s first religious experience. 
• Why the Orphic Hymns have been called “the most powerful form of magic.”
• Personal stories of real magical results from the Orphic hymns. 
• How Aeolian Heart was born from an Orphic ritual
• How the magic of the Orphic Hymns gave birth to the Renaissance
• The Orphic Hymns and Marsilio Ficino.
• Orpheus with a thousand faces: a savior, hero, coward and narcissist
• Orpheus' underworld journey and its symbolism.
• Orpheus' legacy and impact on written history. 
• How Orpheus has always been countercultural 
• How Orpheus inspired Christianity 
• What Orphic initiates believed about death and the after-life.
• Why the phrase: “I am the child of earth and starry-heaven” is the password to eternity.

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32I met Tony Dushane a couple years ago when he enrolled in my class on creative alchemy. It was inspired by the idea that artists are alchemists: explorers of the invisible realms and spiritual healers. And like alchemy, the power of art transforms and transmutes. As I got to know Tony, I learned how his life-story is a beautiful demonstration of art as alchemy. 

Tony was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, an apocalyptic Christian sect that most people describe as a cult. For the first 20+ years of his life, Tony was a true believer: pained by the urgency of the last days, knocking on doors, and living in an ideological echo chamber. 

But by the time I met Tony, he was an avid student of magic, astrology and alchemy. And he’d experienced a rare level of success as a writer, publishing a novel based on his life called Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk. 

His book captured the attention of the actor/director Eric Stoltz, who turned it into a movie. 

Through the art of writing, Tony’s life story was submitted to the alchemical process: heartbreak and tragedy uplifted into comedic and romantic nostalgia. And the film was the final transmutation.

I wanted to interview Tony because I was so curious about what it was like growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, why he left that world behind and how he became an artist.

In our interview, we discuss…

* How his friend’s suicide triggered his ideological awakening

* How the public library was a sanctuary that “literally saved his life” 

* Creative writing as a “conversation with the ancients”

* Needing therapy after leaving the church

* What it was like making a movie with Eric Stoltz 

* His astrology chart, how the planets reveal his artistic gifts

* His current relationship with the Bible and the teachings of Christ

* AI and corporate greed as the enemy of art

* Why writers should never be afraid to write “shitty first drafts”

* And why he teaches a free writing class at the Los Feliz Public library 

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Marlene “Seven” Bremner is a visionary artist and alchemist. And her new book with Inner Traditions, Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy, should be on the top of every esoteric student’s reading list. 

In recent decades, the subject of alchemy has been enjoying a renaissance in esoteric publishing. There are dozens of well researched and beautifully written books on the mystical and philosophical path of alchemy. But Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy is a unique contribution, an illuminated manuscript for the 21st Century that teaches as much through the power of image as it does through words. 

Alchemy is one of the ancient Hermetic arts, sister of astrology. And in alchemy, the planets represent the architecture of inner space, describing the various stages of the creative process.

The Cross Rose in the Garden of Venus (Oil on canvas, 2016)

Seven’s journey into alchemy combines tremendous intellectual depth and artistic spirit. From a scholarly perspective, this book is exquisitely written and intricately researched, densely woven with many ancient threads of esoteric tradition, symbol and myth. But it is her visionary art that really makes the alchemical journey come alive. 

In this interview, I learned that Seven was born with many visionary gifts, highlighted in her natal chart by a triple conjunction between the Sun, Jupiter, and Neptune in Sagittarius. As such, I wasn’t surprised to learn that her strikingly original style of writing and painting is all self-taught. 

And this book is the result of more than 20 years of her esoteric and creative explorations. 

Hermetic Philosophy and Creative Alchemy takes you on a deep journey into planetary influences and alchemical principles. Through Seven’s eyes, new symbolic connections will emerge to expand the breadth and depth of your esoteric language. Students of Hermeticism will love her flourishing prose and fresh perspectives on traditional concepts. And artists will be inspired to explore their own creative potential with the timeless knowledge of alchemy.

Alchemy cultivates your imagination and invites you to explore the vastness of inner space. And in these Aquarian times, alchemy is essential knowledge. Aquarius values human sovereignty, autonomy, and freedom of imagination as a means of healing the world.

As Seven says: 

Seven is a woman that has the courage to follow her own path and be led by the light of her own imagination. And after reading this book, you’ll feel inspired to do the same.

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Audio of an article that originally appeared on aeolianheart.com on December 21, 2022.

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Audio of an article that originally appeared on aeolianheart.com on November 22, 2022.

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Audio recording of an article originally appeared on aeolianheart.com on October 23, 2022.

You can support my work at patreon.com/aeolianheart.

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Audio recording of an article originally appeared on aeolianheart.com on September 22, 2022.

You can support my work at patreon.com/aeolianheart.

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 Audio recording of an article originally appeared on aeolianheart.com on August 22, 2022.

You can support my work at patreon.com/aeolianheart.

Support the show

Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/aeolianheart

Chaweon Koo is a dream come true for me. 

That’s because my main objective as an astrologer is to inspire artists to believe in themselves and come into full bloom. And Chaweon has bloomed into something spectacular! 

Here’s the quick history we have.

Five years ago, Chaweon came to me for a natal chart reading. And I told her that she would be a huge success if she started putting out videos on witchcraft! I remember seeing how recognition would come naturally because of how well she would be able to connect with her audience through the screen. 

Since then, she’s made it look easy to amass a huge following on Youtube and TikTok. And she’s established herself as a totally original voice in the world of magic and witchcraft.

During her reading, I also remember looking ahead into the spring of 2022 (when Saturn would begin transiting her Midheaven) and knowing that she would be doing something BIG around this time!

And I was so right. 

In spring of 2022, Chaweon reached a new level of success by publishing an AMAZING new book called Spellbound: A New Witch’s Guide to Crafting the Future.

This book is totally unique. There’s never been an introduction to magic that reaches into the soul the way Spellbound does. 

That’s because it isn’t just a text. It's an illuminated manuscript, so lushly woven with art that it almost seems to breathe while you read.

Opening the pages of Spellbound is like falling into a river of beauty that takes you on a winding journey into the heart of what magic is truly about: timeless imagination.

It is an exquisite introduction to magic for any beginner student, opening with a poetic initiation and offering a unique interpretation of all the fundamentals from elements to alchemy. 

And because there’s nothing basic about this book, it also serves as a mind-altering inspiration for any advanced student.

What has always made Chaweon so popular is that she breathes new life into magic. She knows how to lighten up dense and obscure topics with her spirit of humor, glamour and fun! 

And Spellbound is no exception. This book represents a breakthrough in the magical conversation and I know its influence will be felt for many decades to come.

Born in Korea but raised in America, Chaweon occupies a liminal cultural space, giving her the power to synthesize Eastern and Western perspectives and imagine the future of art, culture and magic without clinging to stereotypes.

And this is one of the reasons why I was so excited to interview Chaweon again. We always have trippy conversations that span time and space.

Not surprisingly, reading Spellbound summoned a tremendous flood of interesting ideas and questions.

As a final note, I was beyond flattered to discover that Chaweon wrote about Aeolian Heart Astrology and the blockchain ritual we did together last year in Spellbound...

...and she also devoted an entire section to a detailed conversation that she had with my husband Andrei on the topic of servitor magic.

We were both so honored to be woven into the pages of this book. 

Spellbound: A New Witch’s Guide to Crafting the Future by Chaweon Koo is an essential addition to

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 John Michael Greer is an American druid who has risen to become one of the most important esoteric scholars of our time. He is astonishingly prolific, having written over 70 books that explore a wide array of perspectives on ecological philosophy.

JMG demonstrates the virtues of a truly independent mind, offering a syncretic perspective that explores the overlap between ecology, spirituality, and the future of industrial society.

Though he’s written many books on occultism, politics, and economics, I believe that his latest book, The Twilight of Pluto, is the most important astrology book published in over a decade. 

In The Twilight of Pluto, JMG offers something totally unique in terms of historical perspective, critique, and predictions for the future. The rich juices of astrology have been fermented into a fine wine, opening the senses to divine the shape of the world that is emerging from beneath Pluto’s shadow.

This book offers original insight and unique analysis of the time we are living in, which JMG describes as being the end of the Plutonian-era. (1900-2036)

The Twilight of Pluto is first and foremost a history book, blossoming through an astrological lens to illuminate the evolution of human consciousness from the ancient world to the present Plutonian-era. 

You may imagine that diving into Pluto’s influence over the last century might make for some very grim reading. But instead, this book is a page turning pleasure to read. JMG takes you on an adventure through time, fighting monstrous tragedy and absurdity with glinting humor and acerbic cultural critique. 

Even if you don’t typically read astrology books, know that your interests in history, cultural criticism or ecological thought will be deeply nourished by The Twilight of Pluto.

And if you are a student of astrology, The Twilight of Pluto is required reading. This is a mind-altering book that will expand your imagination of the cosmos forever.

The Twilight of Pluto represents an evolutionary leap in the astrological conversation. That’s why it was such an honor to have the opportunity to interview JMG. And of course, in addition to being a great writer, he’s also a wonderful conversationalist.

We touch on everything in The Twilight of Pluto and go off on many tangents including:

• Why art and architecture has become so ugly
• The revival of mundane astrology
• The 2016 election
• Mass media manipulation
• Why you should throw out your TV
• Apocalypses 
• US Pluto Return
• What the future looks like in the post-Plutonian era

Buy The Twilight of Pluto by John Michael Greer

And you can read John Michael Greer’s blog: https://www.ecosophia.net/

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